


Of Demons and Men

by alphatoothless



Category: Gravity Falls, Reverse Falls - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reverse Falls, M/M, Older Gleeful twins, Set in Reverse Falls, Slightly strained willdip relationship, Willdip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 10:43:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11942457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphatoothless/pseuds/alphatoothless
Summary: When Will leaves him to face an unknown force, Dipper Gleeful is forced to reflect on his love for Will, his past with his family, and his future with the very monster he's told to fear.





	Of Demons and Men

**Author's Note:**

> Warning : There is mild blood mention.

Dipper groaned as he slowly collapsed onto the sidewalk. His legs stretched out into the street as his hands fumbled in his pockets for his cigarettes and lighter. His eyes burned and his head throbbed. The cold air made his lungs prickly and he swore he could see snowflakes slowly descend from the sky. He shook the pack before slipping one of the cigs into his mouth. His lips held onto it tightly as he slipped the wrinkled package back into his pocket and started the annoying task of trying to get his damned lighter to work. It finally flickered to life, although it's usually bright flame was small and weak now, lighting his cigarette slowly. He inhaled a mouthful before exhaling it into the cold air. His jacket barely made the cold bearable. 

He tapped the cigarette, watching ashes glide to the icy asphalt before lifting it to his lips once more. God, he was too tired for this. He sniffled and bent his knees, resting his feet flat against the asphalt over cigarette ashes. He didn't have long before his sister's act was over and they could finally go home. He really wanted to go home to his lover, but Will had been gone for a few weeks now. Space demon business or whatever - that's all he had understood from the anxiously rambling boy before he'd left. Dipper took another slow drag of the cigarette before he heard the rusty door of the back foot open. Heels tapped against the concrete before a perfectly manicured hand stretched into his vision. He chuckled as he exhaled, holding it out for his twin. The female brought it to her own lips and took a slow drag. 

"Tonight was hell." 

"You're telling me." Dipper rubbed his forehead. "I think I might make myself a drink when we get home." 

"Make that two." 

Dipper stared out into the empty street. They could hear people chatting and clambering in the front of the building, leaving the show with high spirits. They often relocated here when it was winter - the rent would never be warm enough for their nightly shows. The male twin ran his tongue along the back of his teeth before holding his hand out. The cigarette rested between his fingers once more and he took a final drag before dropping it to the ground and crushing it beneath his shoe. 

"Will's still not back?"

"Not that I know of." Dipper yawned as he forced himself to stand. He brushed his slacks off before tucking his hands back into his oversized performance jacket. 

"Hasn't it been long enough?" 

"You know how he is." He watched his sister raise an eyebrow at him. She looked beautiful, even under horrid streetlights. 

"I don't understand how you have patience for him. He's gone more than he's here." 

Dipper shrugged. The leather of his jacket creaked with his shoulders' rise and fall. His teeth were beginning to feel sensitive against the cold. 

"Did he even tell you where he was going this time?"

"He just said it was demon business from what I remember." 

Mabel rolled her eyes before gesturing for him to follow. Neither of them really wanted to be outside in the cold for any longer than they had to. Sometimes, though, Dipper couldn't help it. He needed a break from the cheering and the praise of eccentric fans that remained loyal even after all these years. Most people would love this endless praise but Dipper just wanted to be left to his own devices. 

They'd gone home after the show - leaving the cleaning staff to perfect the building as per usual. Dipper had collapsed onto his bed after a drink with his sister - though, neither of them truly needed it. Dipper would easily pass out without it, but letting Mabel drink by herself just seemed wrong. He closed his eyes, relaxing against soft blankets as he memorized the way his body sunk into a soft mattress. He focused on his breaths and his silent descent into dreams before he heard his door open. He didn't look, hearing the usual lock click loudly before shoes were kicked off by the door. The familiar scent of winter air and frosty pine trees tipped him of exactly who this was - though, he'd known the moment the door opened. 

"Burning Forest." 

Dipper slowly opened an eye in response, peeking at the man shrugging off a heavy jacket. Dipper hummed a soft welcome before letting himself relax back into the mattress.

"Mason."

"Yes, Cipher?"

"We need to talk." 

"Can it wait?"

"No." 

Dipper sighed before forcing himself to sit up on his elbows. Will just stared down at him with a single clear blue eye. The other was covered by a black leather eyepatch with a closed eye stitched on the outside. Will walked forward, hands reaching forward to cup Dipper's jaw gently after forcing the human to sit up completely. Dipper didn't like that Will's hands were cold and touching his face, but he also hadn't seen Will in almost a month, so he allowed it. Just this once.

"You need to listen to me carefully."

Dipper remained silent when the other's voice was eerily cold. Will's only eye seemed to illuminate against the darkness of his room. 

"Something is coming into town and I will not be here to stop it. There is a chance you will die if you do not do exactly as I say."

Will's hands left his face, but they continued to hold their locked attention. 

"A creature with one eye will find his way into this dimension. He will not here to love you as I have done - he will be here to kill you." 

"Is this any different than the other times this has happened? There are many creatures who've tried to kill me, William."

"This one might actually succeed." Dipper could see Will's jaw clench for a moment. "He will come in the form of a man that looks like me. Do not listen to him. Do not make a deal with him. If you can help it, don't even go near him."

"And why would he look like you?"

"Because he is me." Will lifted a hand to rest against Dipper's jaw. Cold fingers traced his jaw outline to his ear. "I would tell you to run, but there is nowhere you could hide."

"How do I kill him?"

"You don't." Will's mouth twitched into a frown. "I will be handling that." 

"So you need me to stall him." Dipper smirked when Will's fingers traced the shell of his ear. 

"This is no easy task, burning forest." Will's body was tense as he lifted Dipper's chin with his other hand. "He will play with you before he kills you."

"And why, exactly, does he want to kill me?" 

"He killed his own human. There's no rhyme or reason to his actions." Will leaned down and rested his forehead against Dipper's. "If you die, burning forest, I will never forgive you." 

"How romantic." Dipper purred as he leaned up to steal a kiss. The demon hummed into it, hooking his hands behind Dipper's neck to lock him into the kiss. 

The human smiles against Will's lips. He wrapped the demon's tie around his knuckles as he tugged Will closer, pulling him over him on the bed. The demon leaned back for air, staring down at the panting human beneath him. 

"After tonight, I won't be back for some time."

"What else is new?" Dipper smirked. "You'd actually surprise me if you told me you'd be staying for longer than a single night." 

"I'm sorry." Will propped his hands on the sides of the human. "It will be like this for only a little while longer."

"You've been saying that for years." Dipper pulled the demon closer, feeling the satin fabric tighten around his hand. "Stop lying and just kiss me." 

Dipper never knew what the demon was thinking. Even during sex, he had no idea. It was refreshing and frustrating all at once - being unable to read someone's mind. Will's mind always remained blank around him, or possibly blocked, leaving him to lower his defenses and allow Will full control. Hands roamed over his sides, teeth nipped his lower lip and hips rolled against his own. Dipper knew this very well could be the last time they did this - not just if he died, but even if he survived whatever Will warned was coming for him. He moaned against Will's lips when the demon's magic sparked against his own. 

He always took that chance - that Will wouldn't come back the next time. That this could be the last time they ever see each other. It was the chance he took when he freed the demon from his servitude all those years ago. Dipper could move on, could find someone else, but he knew Will was always aware. The demon would show up at just the right moment before he could even think about finding another. 

Demons and their possessive natures. 

Dipper laid against the bed, sheets haphazardly strewn across his hips and legs as he watched Will's back flex. Will was fully dressed in minutes and the demon didn't look back as he left Dipper's room. Dipper stopped wishing for him to years ago.

Will's warnings were of no use for days. Dipper had awaited the unknown force with little interest. He had no intention of waiting around for some bloodthirsty demon to eventually come around - if Will was actually telling the truth. Dipper had told Mabel, who shared his disinterest. They had been on the lookout for any oddities, but it wasn't their main priority. 

Until a man with golden hair and a twisted smile made his way to Dipper in the forest. 

Dipper had seen the man from several feet away, watching him with a wicked grin. He looked like Will, there was no doubt about it, which tipped him off that this was the very creature he'd been warned about. He didn't run, instead standing his ground to watch the man slither through the trees to come closer. A single golden eye locked with his and he could feel his cape being lifted suddenly. He didn't have to look to know the man was behind him then. 

"Well, aren't you something special?" 

"You could say something like that." Dipper watched the other slowly walk back into his sight with a wide grin. 

"I like you - you don't back down or run like normal humans. They're all so horrid, aren't they? Humans - such wretched creatures."

"So why are you speaking with one?" Dipper felt his cape rest behind him once more as the man stood in front of him. A cane stretched to the ground from his gloved hands. 

"You're not all human, are you?" The man tilted his head. "I can tell. That magic you have coursing through your veins? You're not completely human anymore." 

Dipper could hear the tightening of leather gloves over the wood of the cane.

"You like fucking demons, kid?" 

"They're usually the ones that come for me. Something about me is just irresistible to them." Dipper watched the man's eye upturn as he giggled. He didn't miss the sharp teeth that smiled back at him. 

"I like you." The man held a hand out and Dipper just looked down at it in disdain. "The name's Bill - Bill Cipher. I'm at your service."

"Dipper Gleeful." Dipper didn't raise a hand as he met Bill's golden eye once more. 

The demon's smile only widened painfully as he dropped his hand.

"You've been told not to trust me, huh?"

"I don't shake hands with demons." Dipper rose an eyebrow. 

"Well, that's awfully rude of you."

"It's all part of the charm." 

Bill laughed then - a good, hearty laugh that echoed in the forest. It assaulted Dipper's ears, but he just watched the man wipe a tear from his eye and lean against his cane once more. 

"You're wasted here, kid. Your demon - Will, right?" Dipper didn't nod or give any affirmation, but Bill had already known the answer. "He ain't treating you right. You should be ruling countries on an iron throne, not running little magic shows for some little unknown town." 

Dipper didn't say anything, so Bill took it as his cue to continue. The man started walking around Dipper slowly. He could feel that eye rake over his figure as he remained still. 

"How often do you see Will, hm?"

"Often enough to be sick of him." Dipper knew this game. He'd played this game more times than he could count. The demon was trying to read his mind.

"Is that the truth? We both know lying won't get you very far in this." Bill rested a hand on Dipper's shoulder from behind him. The human didn't flinch. "I know you miss him, kid. You see him once or twice a year, for maybe a night. Then he gets up and leaves you behind like you were some kind of toy." 

Bill was close enough to breathe against the back of his ear. 

"I can feel it, kid - you want more and you're too afraid to ask him." Dipper held down a shudder when teeth nipped the back of his ear. "You know any one of those nights could be the last, so you never say a single word about it. You let him do what he wants to you and you watch him leave every time."

Dipper wouldn't fall for this trap. He pushed down the boiling anger in his gut to turn and eye the demon behind him through his peripheral.

"What are you proposing?"

"Nothing just yet." Dipper felt fingers trace down his spine. "But wouldn't it be a rush to have a demon who would treat you right?" 

"What do you know about treating someone right?" Dipper tried to calm his heart. 

"Will probably told you that I killed my human, right?" 

Dipper didn't say anything and the demon chuckled behind him. 

"Of course he did." Dipper felt hands grip his sides, but he remained still. Bill wouldn't hurt him this time - it would be far too boring, he could tell. "My human is alive and well. More than that, even."

Dipper turned back to stare ahead into the woods. He felt the hands holding him slip away. 

"I actually just want you. I've heard stories about a human with demonic magic coursing through his veins." Dipper heard Bill begin to walk, watching him stand in front of him once again. "A human who has an affinity for demons - an odd loyalty to them, if you will." 

"I'm loyal to no one." Dipper watched Bill raise his eyebrows.

"You'll be loyal to me by the end of this, kid. I can promise you that." Bill closed the gap between them and raised his chin with a single gloved finger. The demon's smirk widened. "You'll look great in a collar with my name on it." 

Dipper watched the other hum before turning and leaving him to remain rooted to the spot. Bill just waved as he walked away.

"We'll be seeing each other again very soon, Pine Tree." Bill snapped his fingers and vanished, leaving Dipper to stare after him. 

Dipper realized that he couldn't read Bill's thoughts either. 

The next time Bill came, Dipper was unsure of what to do with him. Bill had slowly made his presence known to the town and, to Dipper's distaste, come to see their show. Mabel had spotted him immediately in the crowd behind stage.

"He looks exactly like Will." 

"I know." Dipper sneered. "Why is he even here?"

"You already know why, brother." Mabel let the curtain block their view of the demon in the back row of the audience. "If he was telling you the truth, then he's trying to learn everything about you that he can to court you."

"He wasn't telling the truth." Dipper's eyebrows furrowed. "Or...Or I don't think he was."

"You can't read his mind either?"

"No." Dipper brought a hand up to punch the bridge of his nose. "But...but I trust Will over Bill's word on the matter."

"How do we know Will was telling the truth, though?"

"We don't." Dipper sighed. "Neither of them could be lying and neither of them could be telling the truth - they're demons. This is their favorite game." 

Mabel looked at the curtain once more. 

"Do we cancel tonight's show, then?"

"No." The male twin pursed his lips in irritation. "We'll just have to play their little game."

Mabel nodded once before turning to finish preparing for the show. Dipper clenched his jaw before turning back to the closed curtain. He hooked a finger through the end of it and tugged open enough to see into the crowd. His eyes met Bill's and the demon grinned. His instincts clawed at his mind.

Run.

He turned and looked at Stan, who was helping Mabel into her blazer. He couldn't run from this. If Will was telling the truth, there was no hiding and that was clear. Bill had found him in the middle of the woods - in a small town in the entirety of the world. Bill could find him anywhere at any time. He would never be able to hide. Instead, he made his way forward, took his sister's hand into his, and walked with her to center stage. The curtains swooshed open and they raised their hands as the crowd cheered. He smiled and met Bill's gaze.

He'll play his game. 

Bill smiled a toothy grin back at him. 

"You're a marvelous actor, Pine Tree." 

Dipper exhaled slowly into the air, tapping the cigarette to allow the ashes to pile on the same spot of asphalt. 

"Is it considered cheating, however, of it's actual magic instead of the fake magic that everyone thinks it is?"

"That makes no sense." Dipper heard the other chuckle as he shifted down sat next to the human. 

"You're selling yourself short using your magic for card tricks and disappearing acts." 

"What should I be using this magic for, then?" 

"Finding your great-uncle." 

Dipper narrowed his eyes at the demon. Bill just stretched his legs out like Dipper usually did and rested his cane between them.

"What do you know about him?"

"I know that Will didn't tell you everything about his very sudden disappearance." Bill bit his lower lip teasingly. "But you wouldn't trust the word of someone you barely know."

Dipper brought the cigarette to his mouth. 

"Let's take a walk, Pine Tree." Bill used his cane to stand. "I want us to get to know each other a little better."

"It's freezing." Dipper took a final drag before dropping the cigarette to the ground, crushing it. Several other butts were strewn in the same area. 

"A little cold won't stop a human like you." Bill watched Dipper brush his clothes off and glare at him. "You wouldn't wander around the woods as often as you do if you didn't love the cold on some level." 

"Says you." Dipper could tell Mabel was watching them from afar. She'd gone the long way around the building to avoid using the creaky back door. "I'll humor you, though. Let's have a chat." 

Dipper shoved his hands in his jacket and followed the demon. He knew Mabel wouldn't be too far behind. 

They made their way down the back alley. Their feet clicked against the cobblestone sidewalk - the only sounds between them. Bill seemed content in the silence, though Dipper was finding this to be useful in studying the demon carefully. He had a different walk then Will did - full of confidence and snug swagger. Will didn't own a cane, but Bill acted as if it were another appendage - a part of him. Bill's golden pupil met his through the side of the man's eye. The demon chuckled and it made the cold seep through Dipper's clothes. 

"Have you ever seen something pass on?"

Dipper didn't say anything. Bill elaborated.

"Watched the life drain from its eyes, that slow, painful drain of it being forced into the afterlife against its will? You have the peaceful ways to go, of course, but I'm talking about the fight they try to win to stay alive." Bill was toying with him. 

"I have not had the pleasure of witnessing that, no." 

"It's a wondrous thing, Pine Tree. It changes your perspective of the living and the dead. Humans' reactions are far more interesting than other animals' reactions to death."

"I can imagine." Dipper knew Bill was trying to bait him into asking about his human. 

"Every demon has had the pleasure of witnessing it. We usually outlive the humans we meet." 

"Usually?" Dipper rose an eyebrow.

"There are a few exceptions." Bill's cane tapped against the ground. "Death to the demon or," Bill's smile grew, "Immortality to the human." 

Bill stopped and Dipper followed. They stared at each other for several moments in silence before Bill continued.

"Have you ever thought about dying, Pine Tree?"

"Doesn't everyone?" 

"Not the way that you do." Bill hummed. "Do you know what will happen to you if you die?" 

"If?" 

"If." Bill tilted his head with a smirk. "Will really has left you completely uninformed. A foolish decision on his part, really." 

Dipper just stared at Bill. 

"You miss Stanford, don't you?" 

"No, I don't." 

"You don't miss the way he treated you, but you miss the knowledge." Bill corrected. "Miss being younger - when everything made sense."

"Tell me kid, did you really think Will would actually stay with you after you set him free?" 

Dipper's shoulders remained stiff as he watched Bill smile. He knew Bill was carding through his memories, trying to rile him up in one way or another. He smiles back.

"Like I said before, I'm irresistible. Demons always end up coming back for more." 

"Just like your great-uncle." Bill licked his lips. "Stubborn and sarcastic - I love it." 

Bill stared at him for several long moments with his eerily happy grin as his own faded. It made Dipper uncomfortable being the target of it, but he stood his ground and glared back at the demon. 

"Will's never coming back." 

"Unsurprising."

"I killed him." Bill leaned against his cane, watching for Dipper's reaction. Dipper didn't say or do anything, just rose his eyebrows in mock surprise. "You don't seem all that fazed."

"Because I don't trust you." 

"Want proof? I have his head." 

Dipper knew better than to believe even a possible optical illusion. He watched Bill snap his fingers and a sack fell to the ground from midair. It was drenched in blood, leaking all over the floor. Dipper eyed Bill cautiously as the man gestured for him to open it. The human tugged open the hole with his shoe he looked inside, unsurprised to see a dead animal head inside.

"Pretty funny, huh?" Bill laughed when Dipper took a step back to avoid more blood coming into contact with his shoes. "But you saw right through it. That's no fun. Seen this prank before?" 

"I haven't."

The sack rose into the air and disappeared. The blood pool below it had also disappeared. 

"You're right not to trust me, kid. You're the first in your family - in both dimensions, actually - not to trust me."

"I had a warning."

"So did they." 

Dipper didn't like the way his heart fluttered at that.


End file.
